As I sit here putting the finishing touches on the Playbill you have in your hands, I pause to reflect on the show you are about to see and the people that have worked to make it happen. Tonight’s show is the result of countless hours of preparation over the last five months.
Before rehearsals even began, members of the faculty were hard at work. Mrs. Allbee ordered our scripts and materials. Mr. Matos translated information letters. And Mrs. Cameron, Mrs. Harris, Miss Hoffman, Mrs. Loerwald, Mrs. Reeves, and Mrs. Van Osdell helped me audition and cast over seventy students.
Once rehearsals were underway, the students discovered that putting on a play is not “playtime.” Every year several students drop out of the cast after discovering that being in a musical is hard work and takes a lot of time, effort, and dedication. Sixty students have persevered through our two-month/sixty-hour rehearsal process: practicing songs, learning choreography, and memorizing lines. Mrs. Reeves and Mrs. Harris put in their work too, giving students feedback to help them to polish and clean their performances.
During the rehearsal process, the students were not the only ones hard at work. Mrs. Chavez was answering parent questions about rehearsals and helping to sell popcorn. Mrs. Allbee was creating invitations, ordering and selling popcorn, ordering costumes, making tickets and reserving seats, all while trying to answer a thousand of my questions. Coach Hinojoza even came to the rescue with his truck when I could not fit lumber and PVC pipes into my car.
While the students were at work on stage, the amazing Mrs. Loerwald spent the last two months working behind the scenes creating props and scenery: two cars, a motorcycle, a couple of ships, four clouds, some bushes, a crown, cotton candy, balloons, a garage that can turn into a candy-making machine… CAN SHE BUILD IT? YES SHE CAN!!
This week as the children take to the stage, backstage a team is working to help make certain that everyone is ready for the spotlight. This team includes Mrs. Casas, Mrs. Cannedy, Mrs. DeSimone, Mrs. Harris, Coach Hinojoza, Mrs. Loerwald, Mrs. Matos, Mrs. Mrkacek, Mrs. Neill, Mrs. Reeves, Mrs. Rosario, Mrs. Van Osdell, Mrs. Williams and my daughter, Joy.
I am grateful to all of the people who have worked to bring this production to fruition, but without the support of my administrators, Mrs. Garcia and Mrs. Neill, we would not be here tonight. Their belief in educating the whole child and bringing the community together through the arts is what makes productions like this possible here at Oakwood Terrace. It is wonderful to have administrators who believe the “vision” of a show and find a way to make things happen!
Finally, I would be a sorry excuse for a husband and father if I did not take a moment to recognize my family. When I was frustrated or feeling uncertain, my wife, Angela, and my children, Joy and Isaac, provided moral support. From start to finish, on all those days when I was late getting home from work or working at home, they understood that I was crazy and they loved me anyways.
Mr. Malone
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